Social media platforms create new challenges for healthcare practitioners and other professionals who actively participate in online communities that have emerged on Facebook, Twitter and similar applications. While it's not unusual for those with chronic health issues and long term medical problems to build close relationships with care providers "in real life" - legal, ethical and practical issues emerge when patients/clients seek to add care providers to online networks.

How, for example, should a pediatric nurse respond when a cancer patient's mom wants to become a Facebook "friend"? What parameters must be established now that these public conversations could become of an official medical record? What else is preventing medical staff and healthcare organizations from adopting social media?

Engage with panelists - patients and healthcare workers - who actively use social media and are articulate advocates for its benefits in the complex world of healthcare delivery. Panelists for this session have developed ways to establish appropriate boundaries without creating barriers to health education and empowerment.

Attendees will develop a more sophisticated awareness of privacy and engagement within online communities. They'll learn how those in the healthcare community have dealt with significant concerns and developed effective ways to resolve ethical conflicts, and will leave the session with a framework for addressing similar concerns within their own networks.

Social strategy is quickly stretching across various areas of organizations, landing anywhere from customer support to marketing and more. The reality is that customers and prospects are talking about your brand right now, on social platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Find out how brands are adapting quickly, and addressing customer inquiries in a timely manner in a variety of industries, resulting in better organic word-of-mouth recommendations and more.

In just under 18 months Facebook has gone from being one of an emerging group of social networks to becoming the undisputed engine of the social networking phenomenon.

Facebook is now the big shark in the tank because it is the main way for consumers to connect, engage, have fun and entertain themselves within a relatively easy to use platform. No wonder then that Facebook has taken the lead in dominating the emerging business of social graphs where precious consumer information lies waiting to be tapped.

But the fact that these rich data stores are being built up within one company leads to some potentially troubling consequences. Thoughtful marketers are realizing that as Facebook pushes toward data dominance to make its platform worth $50bn, it almost has no choice but to jump the shark and hope that it can start a new, profitable revenue model.

In doing so, does Facebook run the risk of colliding with thetruth, transparency and trust ethos of the social web? Will Facebook’s equity as a valued social network erode into an untrusted marketing platform of ads and spammers?

Marketers and “Judy Consumer” have a lot at stake by having so much information in the hands of so young a company. Come join this discussion as we open the pandora’s box of privacy, access and creating real consumer value. Share your thoughts about Facebook's evolving interactions with consumers and business. Just for fun – we’ll bring out the shark in all of you. Sshh – it’s a SURPRISE!